A Quantitative analysis of the value added services produced by digital color printers as perceived by print buyers

This thesis project conducted a market research study of printers as well as print buyers. The digital printing presses that were used are the Xeikon, Indigo, GTO-DI, versus the conventional offset lithographic printing presses. A market analysis was conducted to determine how much a particular job would cost if it were to be printed on any of these presses. These figures are based on different quantities (printing volume) and different time frames (turnaround times). Samples from each press were presented to various print buyers with a questionnaire and scenarios. Based on the results, a break-even analysis between digital printing and offset lithography was conducted. The questionnaire determined how much more print buyers are willing to pay for quicker turn around and also when print buyers would choose digital over offset printing (i.e. type of work). These results clarify many questions regarding cost/benefit ratios for digital printing. Furthermore, this study assists managers of printing firms in their deliberation of the world of digital printing. This analysis provides them with a better vision of the future market for digital printing